Property of the Republic
by Jak Skywalker
Summary: Clones were created for a sole purpose: to fight for the Republic, no questions asked. This purpose, however, has led to the citizens thinking of the men as droids themselves. So, when a lost clone is discovered on Coruscant, people's opinions about the soldiers will be changed. But will it be for better or for worse? OC/Barriss. Other pairings not listed. Read to find out. AU.
1. Prologue: Lost and Found

**Property of the Republic**

**Prologue: Lost and Found**

**Author's Note: I'm not exactly sure how this story came to be. I just got to thinking about what it would be like if a clone grew up as a normal person, not that they aren't normal people. I'm saying that they were originally bred for the purpose of fighting for the Republic, not becoming citizens of it. So this is the story of a clone, with no knowledge of his original purpose, and how he was discovered by the people he was supposed to protect. This is the story of CC-1543 or, as his foster parents proudly named him, Aiden Mallecko. **

* * *

**No Name POV **

_Where am I? _

I looked around and immediately cringed. The pain in my neck was terrible and I cried out in pain. _What happened to me? _

Hoping that my brain would come up with a recollection of whatever situation I was in, disappointment rang true when it didn't. Suddenly, a realization hit me straight in the face. _I have no memories. _

I tried sitting up, to at least get my bearings before I panicked, but my torso was under something heavy that I couldn't lift. "Help!" I cried, hoping for a savior.

Not just from dying here, but to help me remember_ something _about my past, whatever it might have been like. "Help!"

A burning sensation made its way into the backs of my eyes. _What is this I'm feeling? _

"Tears," I said to myself, recognizing the word. I didn't know what brought them on, but I assumed that they were a common occurrence in sentients when they experienced types of emotions. _What emotion am I feeling? _

I would have scratched my head out of confusion if they hadn't been stuck under the metal rubble of the stuff that was on top of me. Pain rippled through my heart as I thought of dying here, all alone. _There has_ _to be someone out there that cares about me, right? They'll come rescue me! I had to have some kind of purpose in past... _

But I lost my reassurance as night came.

I screamed, "Help!", once more, but it was to no advantage. I'd been yelling it all day and now my voice was hoarse from overuse and lack of hydration.

Abruptly, an intolerable pain appeared in my leg. It was like a hot-cold sensation that was suffering from starvation. A word came to mind for this feeling- fire. _Well, this is a great way to die! _I screamed again and again, yet there was still no answer to my plea.

_I'm going to go out with no name, no parents, no purpose- _

A scream emitted itself from someone besides me- it sounded feminine. "Ovai, get over here!"

Definitely a woman.

An audible gasp entered my ears and I assumed that Ovai had arrived. He said, "Help me get this off of him, Ivy!" I felt the heavy metal being lifted off of me and I was relieved that I would be able to move my arms.

I felt cloth being swatted at the flames on my leg and a pair of strong arms sat me up. Brown eyes looked into my own and a feeling of warmth surged into my soul, though not because of the burns. "Are you okay?" the woman known as Ivy asked me.

I didn't respond as I watched with interest as Ovai took off the boot on my right leg and examined my wound from the flames. "He needs immediate medical attention."

Ivy looked at me again and said, "_Adiik_, we need your name."

"I don't know it," I replied, staring at her with pain in my eyes. Whether it was from the flames or just sadness from not even knowing who I was, I wasn't sure. Filled with desperation, I asked her, "Do you know it?"

She didn't reply, just exchanged glances with Ovai. The latter picked me up and said, "We'll get you help, _adiik_. Don't you worry."

* * *

A few bacta bandages later, I sat in a medical examination room, wearing a white shirt and gray, cotton pants. I looked around nervously, though there wasn't much to look at. Just a few holo-posters and two chairs. I sat on a bed, twiddling my thumbs.

I heard angered chatter from outside my room. "What do you mean by 'he doesn't exist?'" It was Ovai.

"We've taken samples of his DNA and applied them to all citizens of the Republic," an unknown person replied, sounding a little exasperated with my saviors. "There are a few close matches, but nothing exact."

"You can't even find a guardian?" Ivy asked, worried.

I almost imagined the doctor shaking his head sadly. "The only thing that stuck out to us about this boy is the fact that his body showed signs of accelerated aging. Though we took care of the problem quickly, a question still plagues us as medical experts: who or what caused his age acceleration?"

There was a pause. "Can you tell how old he is?" Ivy asked.

"He was aging two times faster than he should have been, so I would say he's five."

Ovai asked, "What about his physical age?"

"Ten, obviously. And don't be worried about his leg wound. It will be healed in a matter of days."

"What will become of him?" Ovai inquired.

A sigh emitted itself from the doctor. "Since there haven't been any missing child claims in Orowood or Galactic City, he'll be sent to an orphanage. Unless of course..." The doctor cleared his throat. "Well, I understand that you're Mandalorians. Your people are known for taking in orphans or lost children. Maybe you could..."

I tuned out after that. _I'm only five? _

I didn't feel like a five year old. I might not have remembered anything, but I knew that five year-olds weren't supposed to be as tall as I was or be as smart.

_The doctor mentioned accelerated aging. _I knew what "accelerated" and "aging" was separate, so together, I had a feeling that it meant something along the lines of "I grow up faster than other people."

I looked down at my bandaged foot. _Will it scar? _

The thought of it scarring was bittersweet. Scars usually meant that you were either violent or injured. I was the latter, and boy, did it hurt to be injured. But I knew something about myself now- my right foot was scarred from flames.

The door to my room opened and Ovai and Ivy walked in. Now that I had the chance, I observed them.

Ovai was a Human man with blonde hair down to his shoulder and a thick beard. He had blue eyes and wore a forest green T-shirt, brown pants, and black boots.

Ivy was Human as well, but she was a woman. She had dark brown hair and warm brown eyes. She wore a long-sleeved cobalt shirt, black pants, and brown boots.

They both had guns in holsters that were strapped to their thighs.

I looked at them sadly. "Do you know who my parents are?" I had already heard the doctor admit to them that I wasn't identified as anyone's child, but I needed reassurance from people that I trusted. Ovai and Ivy seemed like people I could trust. But as they remained silent, the burning sensation of tears came back again. They fell from my eyes after a few moments and I looked down.

Ivy sat down next to me and wrapped her arms around me. "It's alright, _adiik_."

"Will you be my parents?" I sobbed, losing control of my self and burying my tear-stricken face into her shoulder.

Ivy rubbed my back and kissed the top of my head. Ovai laid a comforting hand on my shoulder. He said, "_Ni kar'tayl gai sa'ad_."

That first night with my new Mandalorian parents, I cried myself to sleep.

* * *

**Ovai Mallecko POV **

"What will we name him, Ovai?" Ivy asked, looking at me with the same brown eyes I had fallen in love with.

I looked down at the child in my arms. We had checked him out of the hospital in Orowood and we were now heading back to our house in the Manarai Mountains. "I guess that we _do _need to name, huh?"

The boy hadn't cried when the flames had been eating away at his leg, a sign of high pain tolerance- a trait of a born warrior. The name needed to be a reminder of his toughness.

"How about Aiden?" Ivy suggested, taking the child from me and laying him in the back of our speeder. "It means 'fiery' in Mando'a."

I smiled a little at the name. "Fiery" was not only ironic, but it described my take on his future personality as a Mandalorian and my son. "Yes, Aiden will be his name."

Ivy kissed his cheek as we loaded into our speeder and sped off toward our house.

* * *

**Author's Note: Well, the next chapter will expand a little more on how Aiden got to Coruscant, though not too much. You'll have found out the entire story by the end of this Fanfic, but let me give you some setting and context in this first chapter. There actually is a mountain range on Coruscant called the Manarai Mountains. Just look it up on Wookieepedia.**

**And for those of you who don't speak Mando'a, here are a few definitions:**

**_Adiik- _child aged 3 to 13  
**

**___Ni kar'tayl gai sa'ad- _"I know your name as my child"; Mandalorian adoption vow**

**Anyway, leave a review...**


	2. Chapter 1: Discovery

**Property of the Republic**

**Chapter One: Discovery**

**Author's Note: Well, thanks to those who have reviewed so far. Anyway, this chapter is set exactly five years after Aiden crashed on Coruscant. The Clone Wars have been under way for two months, by the way. Read and enjoy! **

* * *

**CT-9452 "Cooker" POV **

"Slow down, Cooker," Soap said to me, grinning at my fast-paced eating habit. "You'll end up going to the med center because of indigestion again."

I set down my plate of food and glared at him. "I'll end up going to the med center regardless. You know why? Because you haven't taken a bath in a solid month! How do you even do that?"

He leaned back in his chair with a smug smile. "Gotta have the smell tolerance of a Hutt."

"We're going to end up developing it if you don't get in the refresher soon," Oppo replied, sniffing the air, then cringing. He looked to me. "You sure that you don't need any help sorting the rest of these files?"

I shrugged. "I'll be fine. You guys need to get some sleep anyway. Tomorrow's testing day, remember?"

We had been training on Kamino for ten years now, hoping that we would be deployed into the galaxy to fight against the Seppies. Our trainers had _finally _given us the clearance to take the required tests, but a few of us had gotten in trouble in the mess hall. I'm not going to say too much, just that it involved a lot of flying food and a few painted cadets.

So, we had to sort through a bunch of files in the database. Soap and Oppo got up, gave me a casual salute, and walked out the door. I sighed and rubbed my forehead. "Let's just try to finish this tonight, Cooker."

Surprisingly, I was finished within an hour, with plenty of time to get a good night's rest. But something on the screen caught my eye. I looked at and read aloud, "ARC Trooper Incident: 001."

With my curiosity peaking, I clicked on the file. The first thing that came up was a picture of two Rodians, one male and one female.

_Bounty hunters, Greedo and Yemee, infiltrated the housing centers at 0400 hours on the twenty-first day of the seventh month of the eighth year. There, they loaded a total of eight highly-advanced ARC Troopers onto their ship and took off toward Coruscant. Dispatching security after them, we managed to damage their landing gear and the bounty hunters were forced to abandon their ship and the troopers. Due to unforeseen complications, we were unable to rescue the ARC troopers and their ship crashed in the Manarai Mountain Range of Coruscant. After we were given the "all-clear," we visited the sight of the crash and recovered seven of the eight troopers, all dead. We were at first ordered to search for the lost trooper, but we were pulled out due to classified information. This later became known as "ARC Trooper Incident: 001" since this was only the first of many unfortunate happenings with the soldiers. The lost trooper has never been found. -Report by: Jango Fett _

I stroked my chin thoughtfully. _So, there's a lost clone out there? _Shaking my head, I said to myself, "The things that happen on Kamino."

A link popped up at the bottom of the screen. _Pictures. _My curiosity once again stirred, I clicked on the link. A few images of the clones appeared and I raised my eyebrows. They resembled most clones, but there were a few differences. For one thing, these guys didn't look nearly as wrinkled as Jango Fett. I suppose that our template was attractive to the opposite sex, but these guys, even at physical age ten, seemed like they win a lot more of the ladies.

_Well, the article _did _mention that these guys were "highly-advanced." And I guess that we're just a bunch of things to be experimented with, right? _

I sneered at my thoughts and opened up the Holonet. "Might as well catch up on bolo-ball while I'm here."

But a few scoreboards later, I opened up the "bolo-hopefuls" list and a picture of a teenage boy popped up. The caption underneath it read, _Aiden Mallecko has once again stunned scouts across the galaxy by setting a new records for "points scored in a single game" with a whopping eighteen, breaking his previous record of seventeen. Bolo-ball scouts at the Academy of Coruscant and other well-known Universities are already planning to make way for this remarkable young man into their sports program._

"Eighteen?" I asked myself. I had played a game of bolo-ball once and I knew that it was difficult getting _one _point. "This kid is on fire."

I looked at the picture of him, impressed, until I noticed something familiar about him. Bringing up the picture of the lost ARC trooper, I placed it up against the one of Mallecko. My eyes widened and a thousand thoughts raced through my head.

_The trooper was lost on Coruscant._

_The rescue team was pulled out._

I gasped as the pieces finally fell into place.

_The lost trooper was never found. _

"SIRS!" I yelled as I ran out of the sorting room, waving my arms frantically.

* * *

**Aiden Mallecko POV **

Sunlight poured into the room and I shielded my eyes. Groaning, I turned away from the windows. "Aiden, wake up!"

My eyes shot open at my name and I looked into the hazel ones of a blue-skinned Twi'lek. I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes and asked, "Where am I, Ash?"

Ashely rolled her eyes and asked, "Are you hungover?" I didn't reply because of the terrible pounding in my head. "Aiden, you need to get out of here right now! If my parents get home and find a drunk, shirtless boy on their living room floor, they'll cut off my right lek! Get out of here."

"Well, that was a nice good morning," I replied, standing up shakily. I looked around the trashed living room and grimaced. Assorted stains marked the once white walls and much of the furniture was covered in bile and semen. "Are you sure that you don't need any help cleaning up?"

She shook her head, lekku shaking with it. "No. What _you_ need to do is get home. Your parents called a few minutes ago and they sounded pretty pissed off."

I groaned and ran a hand through my shaggy, black hair. "I'm so screwed. Anyway, make sure to get that stuff out of the couch. But if I were you, I'd use gloves. Some of that stuff doesn't look 'girl friendly.'"

I grinned at her and she punched me on the shoulder a few times. "Get out of here, Aiden!" But she was holding back a smile.

"Can I borrow your speeder, Ash?"

She picked up a few disposable cups and replied in a flat voice, "Go crazy. And take some headache meds while you're at it, you drunk."

* * *

I got home ten minutes later, parking the speeder in the garage and making my way through the house. Looking into the living room, I was delighted to find that my parents were out at the moment. I grinned and started to walk up the stairs when a cough sounded. I sighed and turned around to find the disappointed faces and the crossed arms of my parents'.

"Where have you been all night?" Mom asked, glaring at me. I knew that they weren't really my parents, but I still referred to them that way.

I scratched the back of my head, not replying, and I looked down at my feet shamefully. Dad took a step towards me and said in a low, threatening voice, "Tell us or else."

Knowing my dad well enough to know what "or else" meant, I mumbled, "At a party."

"Were you drinking?" Mom asked. I only had to look at her and she knew the answer to her question. Her eyes were filled with anger, but there was also a little worry and concern evident in her stance. "Aiden-"

I held up a hand and interrupted her with, "Mom, I'm paying the consequences right now. I know that I shouldn't have drank so much last night."

"You shouldn't have gone to that party anyway," Dad said, rubbing his forehead and closing his eyes. "And if you knew that you shouldn't have drank any alcohol, then why did you do it?"

Opening my mouth to respond, I realized that I didn't have an answer and closed it again. Dad growled in frustration and said, "Go get changed into something and meet me outside. ASAP."

My eyes widened as he left the room and I turned to Mom with pleading eyes. "Mom, please."

She shook her head and replied, "You have to learn about consequences, Aiden." She waved her arm toward the stairs. "Go get changed. After your father is done with you, I'll have some medicine and food ready. Aria's been worried, by the way."

Aria was my little sister and the only true offspring of Mom and Dad, but I loved her like no one else. She was only six and just beginning her Mandalorian training, yet you could tell that she would be a tough one.

Sighing, I made my way up the stairs and arrived at my room. The walls were painted wall-to-wall black and a few holo-posters of famous bolo-ball players were scattered along the walls. A few dirty shirts lay on the floor and I noticed a plate with week-old nerf meat on it. Feeling a little curious and also trying to stall, I sniffed it and immediately covered my nose. "Aw, man!"

I threw the plate into my trash bin and discarded my pants onto my bed. Grabbing some black, baggy shorts and a white-sleeveless shirt, I shrugged them on and went outside into the back yard.

My parents came from old money, so they were able to afford a mansion in the Manarai Mountains. The region was mostly forest and contained very few skyscrapers due to the pure cost of buying the land in the area, and that I was grateful. My life was hard enough, being a galaxy-famous bolo-hopeful. If there were anymore people around in Orowood, where I lived, I would've gotten a new house by then.

Dad was waiting for me in our sparring area and he gestured to the mat. "Come on, Aiden."

I stepped onto the mat and tried to clear my head of the pain. "Morning, Dad." He took a swing at me and I dodged it with ease. "Are you trying to go easy on me today?"

He tried to hit me again, and this time succeeded. "Don't assume that since I missed you the first time that I'm going easy on you." I collapsed to the ground, holding my stomach, and Dad brought up his foot into my face, crushing my nose. I fell onto my back and he looked down at me. "Get up _hut'uun_. If you're going to drink and party like a man, then you're going to fight like one."

Mumbling curses under my breath, I got up and wiped the blood from my nose. "I thought Mandalorians were supposed to shower affection onto their children."

"It's also our duty to discipline them when they're wrong and to train them," he replied, bring his knee into my groin. "Right now, I'm killing two birds with one stone."

I fell to my knees and held my damaged body part in my hand. Blinking back tears, I got to my feet and a surge of adrenaline fueled my movements. I, at first, drew my leg up in an attempt to make it look like I was trying to kick Dad in the face. He fell for this and brought his hands up in a block. But at the last moment, I brought my heel down on his own foot and, as his hands came down, my fist to his eye.

He stumbled backwards off the mat and then recovered. "That was a good move, Aiden," he said. "You've improved in the last five years."

"I learn from the best. And by the best," I answered, driving my elbow in his chest, "I mean Mom."

He fell onto his back, though got up quickly at my comment. Grinning at me, he said with fists raised, "Oh, _now _you're going to get, you _di'kut_!"

Dad tackled me to the ground and we both laughed as we threw a flurry of elbows, punches, and kicks at each other on the ground. "Aiden! Ovai! Lunch is ready!"

This caused me to kick Dad off of me and I raced inside, though he took me by the shirt and threw me backwards when we were inside. "That was a dirty move, Dad."

He smirked at me and grabbed a plate from the cabinet. "No such thing as dirty moves when it comes to your mom's food." He planted a kiss on her cheek and wrapped his arms on her waist.

Mom smiled at him and said, "There is in the bed, though."

I groaned at her comment and rubbed my forehead. "Mom, there is a minor in the room."

"Then maybe that minors should get out," she replied. But she smiled at me and removed Dad's arms from around her waist. While pouring a cup of _shig_, she said, "I made _tiingilar_, by the way. But be careful. I added a lot more spice this time."

I inhaled the scent of the casserole and tears came to my eyes at the smell of the exotic spices. _Tiingilar _was an intensely spicy Mandalorian meat and vegetable dish and it's spices gave it a pungent smell, enough to burn a person's nasal passages. The effect was known as _hetikles _in Mando'a. Because of it though, it was prized in our culture and sought after by many clans in their foods.

"Aria, get down here!" Dad called out to the young six year-old.

She came running down the stairs and as soon as she saw me, she broke out into an ear-to-ear grin. "Aiden!" Almost bring me down in a hug, she buried her face into my chest. "Where were you last night? The boogie man almost got me and I was scared!"

I hugged her back, then set her down. "The boogie man'll have to go through me first, Aria." I smiled at her and her grin widened. She only came up to my waist in height had long, brown hair and big, blue, innocent eyes that made you care for the girl the minute you saw her. "Would you like some _tiingilar_?"

"Yes, please," was her reply and she squealed in delight as I picked her up and placed her in her chair at the bar. She took a bite and her face scrunched up. "Spicy."

We all laughed and ate our food in happiness.

* * *

Later, Mom and Dad called me into the living room. I sat down in front of them. "Anything wrong?"

They exchanged glances. "We've decided on your punishment," Dad replied.

The soft smile on my face fell and I sighed. Looking down at my feet, I thought, _I should've known that they wouldn't let me off the hook for the partying_.

"You're grounded for two weeks and won't be having any access to the HoloNet, except for your studies," Mom started off. "Whenever your father and I are out, you'll be watching Aria."

Dad added, "The only friend you may have over is Ashley." That one didn't really matter to me, considering Ashley was the only real friend I had. "You will have to wake up at four in the morning every day for the next month and spar with me." I resisted a swear. "And absolutely, no parties."

My heart felt like it had been dipped into acid. I wouldn't ever tell my parents this, but the only reason why I partied or drank was because of my amnesia. It was depressing that I had no memory of my real Mom and Dad or of my heritage and it constantly plagued my mind.

"Fine."

But then Mom held out a package. "Happy birthday, by the way." It had been exactly five years since I was adopted and we just used the day as my birthday.

I raised my eyebrows and took the gift. Opening it up, a grin found its way onto my face. It was a blaster pistol. I picked it up gingerly and held it as if I was aiming it at someone. "This is awesome." I'd gotten guns before, but was obviously from BlasTech Industries, one of the top weapons producers in the galaxy.

"We found it at the crash," Mom said, staring sadly at me.

My eyes widened and I lowered the gun. "The crash" was the name we had given to site where my ship had crashed onto Coruscant. Mom and Dad had investigated the scene after adopting me and I assumed when they returned home that they hadn't found anything. I been wrong to assume. "Why did you keep this from me?"

"It was too early," Dad replied. "Now, we feel as though you're emotionally mature enough to handle keeping this. Do you feel this way?"

I nodded slowly. Looking over at them, I saw worry in their eyes. I sighed and said, "I'm not about die of shock, you know." They didn't respond as I hugged them and added, "I think I'm going to turn in for the night. I've got school in the morning."

Mom kissed me on the cheek. "Remember. Four in the morning."

I mumbled sarcastically, "I can't wait.

* * *

_"CC-1543, report." _

I turned onto my left side and shrugged the voice away.

_"CC-1543, do you report?" _

A tingling feeling surfaced in my head, soon turning to a dull pain.

_"CC-1543, have you survived the crash?" _

The pain was unbearable and I sat up in bed, grasping my head.

_"I will ask once more. CC-1543, are you alive?" _

Grabbing the pillow behind me, I growled and threw it against the wall.

_"Bounty Hunter Fett, CC-1543 doesn't report. Is he dead?" _

My knees buckled as I stood up and I fell onto my hands, gasping for breath that didn't seem to come.

_Distinct chatter entered my ears. "We won't be able to find out. The Kaminoans are pulling us out." _

Tears sprang into my eyes as an invisible force reached inside me and squeezed my lungs.

_"What was the trooper's rank?" _

I rolled onto my back, seeing black spots dance across my eyes.

_"He was an advanced ARC commander. The last one of his squad." _

The pain my head receded and my lungs were once again filled with oxygen. I whimpered and sat up on the floor. _What was that? _

I grabbed the blaster pistol from my nightstand and observed it. It was a little scuffed up and the handle on it had tally-marks on it. Though I had never seen it before, it felt familiar in my hands and I again held it as though I was about fire it.

_"When__ firing your weapon, be steady and don't miss your target, or you'll become the targeted." _

The voice sounded again in my head and I set the blaster pistol down. Taking a deep breath, I got up and ran a hand through my short, black hair. I went over to my mirror and looked into my brown eyes. _What's happening to me? Is this part of being a fifteen year-old? Or am I remembering things? _

My eyes widened at the thought and I straightened. "Calm down, Aiden. Let's just go to bed."

But I doubted the normality of the situation.

* * *

**Author's Note: Have a nice Good Friday, by the way. Oh, and I actually found out that people call it a birthday in the Star Wars Universe, since some people call it a "Life Day." Life Day is actually a holiday celebrating the alive and dead in the Wookie culture. But really, the correct term is birthday when celebrating a person's, well, day of birth.**

_**hut'uun- **_**coward**

_**di'kut- **_**fool, idiot, useless individual; context dependent: can mean jerk, moron, etc.**

_**shig-**_** a hot, tea-like beverage**

**Anyway, I hope to update soon.**


	3. Chapter 2: Seeking Answers

**Property of the Republic**

**Chapter Two: Seeking Answers**

**Author's Note: Thanks for the continued support by the reviews, favorites, and follows.**

* * *

**Lama Su POV **

I let out a fierce growl as my advisors watched me in fear of what I might do. News that a highly-advanced ARC trooper had been left alone on Coruscant with no credits, no weapons, and no help was spreading quickly among the the clones. And though my creations knew that they were created to die in battle, whispers of distrust and defiance against the Jedi and us were evident, considering the fact that we left the ARC to die.

"How could we have let this happen?" I asked as I paced around the room. "We took careful precautions to ensure that no one outside of Kamino knew of Project Delta-50. How did those bounty hunters manage to penetrate our defenses?"

"The defense grid had been off for hours that day," one of the advisors said with a note of fear in his voice. "We were running tests and the bounty hunters came at the right time."

"But the clones should have been able to protect themselves," I started, taking a seat in my chair. "Jango had personally trained them for a year by then."

Another advisor said, "They had the minds of a ten year-old. They had been trained for five years to be ruthless killers, while most people in the galaxy actually had happy childhoods. But clones don't really have a childhood, do they?"

I detected bitterness in his tone and said, "The Republic wants killers, not joyful children."

"But the clones probably wanted more than that," Shaak Ti said, having just entered my chambers. "They might be of another man's DNA, but that does not leave them void of emotion, Lama Su."

"Master Ti, we're having a very important advisement meeting-"

She silenced me with a wave of her hand. "One that, I'm afraid, involves the Council and Senate." She took a deep breath and said, "So, we have a highly-advanced ARC trooper roaming the streets of Coruscant. He's been there for at least five years and, from the looks of him, his age-acceleration has been tampered with." With the barest of smiles, "That's something you don't encounter every day, wouldn't you say, gentlemen?"

"What would you propose, Master Jedi?" an advisor inquired. I made a mental note to mention to him that we could handle our own problems without the Jedi's involvement. After all, _we _were the master cloners, not them.

"First, we must send a team of Jedi and clones to investigate his housing. Basically, see how he has survived with no help from Kamino or the Republic. Then, question him as to why he did not contact you after the crash. Finally, reinstate him into the GAR."

"But what about his age-acceleration?"

She raised an eye marking. "Can you not do the procedure over again?"

I stood up from my seat. "When we acquired Jango's DNA, we implemented the age-acceleration when the clones were being developed in their vatting-chambers. If the acceleration was corrected, it would take much time and money to implement it again."

"Why?" Master Ti asked.

"The boy is probably going puberty as we speak," an advisor said to the Togruta Jedi. "Since his body is already going through changes, it makes it that much more physically deteriorating on him."

Silence and tension filled the room. Finally, Master Ti said, "I see." She bit her lip a little and clasped her hands behind her back. "We'll have to do without the acceleration, won't we then?"

As she strode out of the room, she said, "I will inform the Council and Senate of this the next morning. Until then, may the Force be with us." I barely heard her mumble underneath her breath, "Because we're going to need it."

* * *

**Aiden POV **

"Thank you for the breakfast, Mrs. Mallecko," Ashley said, giving my mom a polite smile. "It's delicious."

Mom fixated her with a grin. "Thank you, Ashley. It's an old family recipe. And I've told you before, call me Ivy. 'Mrs. Mallecko' makes me sound old like the goof I married."

"I heard that!" Dad called from his study, while the rest of us snickered at Mom's joke.

"So, where are you going for your field trip, kids?"

My school, Coruscant Academy, was one of the most prestigious institutes of learning in all of the galaxy. So, that basically meant that all of the self-admitted whores and wipe asses attended it. When I first started attending it four years ago, I had been friendless and clueless. But all of that had changed when I saw Ashley Yuusan walk in the door to my Arithmetic class when I was thirteen.

***Flashback* **

_"You're late, Yuusan," my teacher, an aged Human, said to a young, blue-skinned Twi'lek. She had sparkling hazel eyes and just about the biggest grin on her face that I had ever seen._

_She shrugged and said, "Get used to it."_

_The teacher glared at her and a few people made some rude comments as she climbed up the steps to the back row. She stopped at the empty seat next to me and her crazy grin morphed into a small, yet kind smile. "Mind if I sit here?"_

_I nodded, grateful that I would have at least one person sitting next to me in a class. She set her stuff down and plopped down in the chair, putting her feet on the table. "Thank Yoda that I don't have to sit in the front. I hear this teacher's a total pain in the _sheb_."_

_"You know Mando'a?"_

_She shrugged. "My parents are friends with a bunch of people that speak it. I picked it up when I was about seven. Why do you ask?"_

_"I'm Mandalorian," I replied plainly._

_Her eyes widened and she removed her feet from our shared desk. "Holy shit! You're Aiden Mallecko, right? Star limmie player!" She did jazz hands when she said the last thing._

_"I call it bolo-ball, but yeah."_

_She resumed her former position. "And your absolute coolness just went up a few points. Limmie is freaking awesome!"_

_"I didn't think that a lot of people really watched it." Bolo-ball wasn't really big on Coruscant like it was in other systems. This girl actually liking it was an amazement to me. "What's your name?"_

_"Ashley Yuusan," she said, extending a hand to me. I shook it and a few minutes later, she nudged me while our teacher gave us a lecture. "Hey, Aiden. How do you make a baby cry?"_

_"I dunno."_

_She looked at me with her crazed grin. "Throw a brick at its forehead." Seeing my bewildered look, she added, "It's an anti-joke."_

_"Oh." Then I laughed quietly._

_A few more anti-jokes later though, and we were face-down on our table, bodies shaking with our guffaws. "That is enough, you two!" our teacher said, glaring at us, but we only laughed harder when Ashley sat up and wagged a finger at him, still laughing._

_"No, don't talk to me right now._

* * *

_We were both sitting outside the principal's office, staring at our thumbs when she nudged me again. I looked over at her and said in a low voice, "Yeah?"_

_"Wanna be friends?" she asked, barely smiling. I saw in her eyes the same longing and desperateness for a friend that I possessed. Right away, I knew that this was the person that I would be friends with no matter what happened in the future._

_I grinned down at her and said, "Sure. _

***Flashback Ends* **

But where am I going with all of this flashback stuff anyway? I'm supposed to be talking about field trips.

Since our school is rich and stuff, they can afford a lot of things, expensive field trips included. Today, we were visiting a recently built headquarters for the GAR in the industrial sector of Coruscant. It was also near a new prison and liquor store.

"Just the HQ," I said to Mom.

She nodded and asked as she scrubbed our dishes, "Who will be leading the trip?"

"Our principal says two or three clones. He also mentioned something about meeting a few Jedi," Ashley said, then ripped off a hangnail with her teeth. "I hope those clones are as hot people say they are."

Mom laughed, but I rolled my eyes and said, "Come on, Ash. I don't wanna be late _again_."

She smirked and called to my mom, "See ya later, Ivy."

With a chuckle, Mom replied, "Bye, Ashley."

* * *

**Barriss Offee POV **

"Barriss, wake up." I felt a hand shake me softly, then roughly when I covered my face with my pillow. "We have to be at the new HQ in an hour." It was my master, Luminara Unduli.

I removed the pillow from my face and looked into her deep, blue eyes. "What time is it?"

"Four fifty-five."

I resisted a groan and sat up in bed, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. "Stupid war. If we had killed Count Dooku on Geonosis like Master Windu had planned then we wouldn't have to wake up so early." Before the war started two months ago, I usually woke up at six thirty, sometimes seven when my classes in the morning got cancelled.

But now, it was mandatory that all Masters, Knights, and Padawans be up for sunrise training at five o'clock. _Except for those damn, whiny Initiates. They get to sleep until eight. _

"Barriss, a Jedi does not think such thoughts of murder," Master reprimanded me and I looked down at my hands. _I should have kept my frakking mouth shut about Dooku. _"But I _do _miss the days when we could sleep in." She gave me a small smile and I smiled back. "Aayla, Shaak, and I were actually late for many of our classes because of our sleeping habits when we were Padawans."

"What? No way!" I replied, laughing and bringing a hand up to my mouth. "Now that nickname that Master Fisto gave you three makes sense."

"What nickname?"

"The Terrible Trio."

Master chuckled softly. "He always _was _the jokester among the four of us." Her smile faded and a more serious expression appeared. "Be ready to go in forty minutes at the hangar. Master Secura will be joining us."

I nodded and resisted a smile. My master and Secura had known each other since they were Padawans and when I was assigned to Master, my first mission had been with her and Aayla. A lot of people in the Order found her childish at times and they thought that her outfit was really skimpy, but she just about the coolest person I had ever met. She seemed to be able fit humor, grace, and truth in just about she said, which made her one of my favorite masters. But Master Unduli was at the top.

Master nodded to me and exited my dorm. I threw the covers off of me and rearranged my tank top and shorts. "Shower time," I mumbled, stumbling to the refresher where I stepped out of my clothes and into the shower.

I tried to clear thoughts of going back to sleep, but I leaned against the tile wall and closed my eyes for a second. _I can't wait for it to end. _

Nevertheless, I knew that Master Unduli would have my head if I didn't get to the hangar in time so I scrubbed myself clean and washed my hair, as well. I stepped out of the shower and immediately dried my hair off with a towel. _Maybe I should cut it short, _I thought, looking at my long, black hair. Then, I shook my head. _Nah, I think I look better with it long. _

* * *

I dressed in my usual attire and arrived at the hangar five minutes early to find Master leaning against the speeder, head hanging. I walked up to her and asked in an apprehensive voice, "Master?"

She snorted a little and looked up abruptly, placing a hand against her chest. "Barriss, you startled me."

"I see that." I looked around and asked, "Where's Master Secura?"

A loud snore from the back seat of the speeder answered my question and I resisted a laugh. Master smiled at the sleeping Twi'lek and said, "Padawans aren't the only ones missing our old sleeping habits." She slapped Aayla's boot and said, "Come on, sleeper. Wake up."

"Five more minutes," was her mumbled reply as she shifted to lay on her left side.

I grinned at her reaction, though my amusement was short-lived as arguing from the other side of the hangar caught Master and I's attention. I spotted a young Human man waving his arms furiously at a fourteen year-old or so Togruta. She had orange skin, lekku with blue stripes, and was about a head and half shorter than the man.

"Ahsoka, how many times have I told you to stick to plan?"

"You don't seem to follow that rule very well when it involves Master Obi-Wan!"

"Don't get snippy with me!"

"Maybe you shouldn't yell at me, _Skyguy_!" she replied, crossing her arms over her scantily clad chest.

I raised an eyebrow and asked, "Who are they?"

"You remember Padawan Skywalker from Ansion, do you not?" Master said in return.

I nodded, then my jaw dropped. Anakin had changed _a lot. _He was way taller than he was as a Padawan, considering the fact that he was now a Knight. His hair had grown longer and more curly over the past two months and it appeared as though his right hand was now a cybernetic.

"Who's the girl?" I asked.

"Ahsoka Tano," Aayla said, finally sitting up in the back seat of the speeder. "She was assigned to him about a month ago. I taught her a few things as a youngling. Tough girl. Takes kriff from no one."

"No one apparently includes Skywalker," I added. Aayla chuckled and Master smiled.

Aayla said, "Let's just get to the new HQ already. I hear that Bly, Gree, and Obi-Wan's commander are leading a field trip and they want us to answer some questions for the twerps- I mean, the next generation of citizens that we as Jedi are sworn to protect."

As Master climbed into the pilot's seat and me the passenger's seat, Aayla whispered to me, "But in my opinion, the lot of 'em are probably pervs."

She shot me a mischievous grin and I sent her one right back. Little did I know, she couldn't be more right about the two individuals I would soon meet: Ashley Yuusan and Aiden Mallecko.

* * *

**Author's Note: Review please. And Limmie is actually the official name for bolo-ball so, you know.**

**_Sheb- backside, rear, butt _**

**Anyway, I'll try to update soon!**


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